OT: Exterior Front Door Type: Wood, Fiberglass or Wrought Iron

nolan8v

I'm in the market for an exterior front door for my home in metro Atlanta.

The front of my home gets the evening sun.

Which door would be your choice based on your experience with these three types?

lousubcap

I have experience with wood (when moving into the house) and then fiberglass, nothing with steel/iron.
House faces west so the door gets the brunt of the sun.  I am quite pleased with the fiberglass as the maintenance compared to wood is negligible.  I'm sure there are professionals who will be along to offer more valuable inputs.  

1voyager

Our house faces west and gets hammered by the afternoon sun. We replaced the double entry steel front door with a fiberglass one 11 years ago. It's beautiful "mahogany" and still looks like new. 

GregW

I would normally go with fiberglass, but in today's times iron/steel would serve you well.

Ozzie_Isaac

Depends on what you are trying to accomplish.  Do you want to keep light out, heat out, people out?  What look do you want?  I prefer solid wood doors with pretty grain like mesquite, ironwood, or rosewood.  I also like wrought iron doors (my current door).  If you want a pretty painted door then probably insulted steel door.
 Also need to think about windows, side windows, etc.

nolan8v

Thanks for the responses.

I'm looking for a door that will keep heat out (as much as possible) and provide security. The door frame will also be replaced, if needed in order to get the end product I decide.

RRP

My first was a fiberglas and it warped for some reason I never understood as it faces true north. I replaced it 20 years ago with a steel door from Anderson with a matching full view storm door with which I keep the glass in year around. That "nearly" double insulation does quite well keeping both the heat and the cold out. I also attribute that storm door to having no rust issues nor the need to even repainting it since it is a factory baked on paint.

jtcBoynton

GregW said:

I would normally go with fiberglass, but in today's times iron/steel would serve you well.

But you can get fiberglass doors sandwiched with steel plate inside for added strength. 

GregW

jtcBoynton said:

GregW said:

I would normally go with fiberglass, but in today's times iron/steel would serve you well.

But you can get fiberglass doors sandwiched with steel plate inside for added strength. 

I was unaware that that option existed. A strong door is a wise choice.

MaskedMarvel

nolan8v said:

Thanks for the responses.

I'm looking for a door that will keep heat out (as much as possible) and provide security. The door frame will also be replaced, if needed in order to get the end product I decide.

Incredible timing. Someone picking up a pork butt at my house just demolished my front exterior door. Following this thread....

edit / as I’m searching, I think what I’m looking for is, technically, a “storm door...”

dmchicago

MaskedMarvel said:

nolan8v said:

Thanks for the responses.

I'm looking for a door that will keep heat out (as much as possible) and provide security. The door frame will also be replaced, if needed in order to get the end product I decide.

Incredible timing. Someone picking up a pork butt at my house just demolished my front exterior door. Following this thread....

edit / as I’m searching, I think what I’m looking for is, technically, a “storm door...”

Huh?

MaskedMarvel

dmchicago said:

MaskedMarvel said:

nolan8v said:

Thanks for the responses.

I'm looking for a door that will keep heat out (as much as possible) and provide security. The door frame will also be replaced, if needed in order to get the end product I decide.

Incredible timing. Someone picking up a pork butt at my house just demolished my front exterior door. Following this thread....

edit / as I’m searching, I think what I’m looking for is, technically, a “storm door...”

Huh?

Yeah... the storm door was on it’s way out... when the hydraulic broke free, pieces went everywhere. Not her fault, probably. Odd that we can’t find any of the parts, though...

alaskanassasin

MaskedMarvel said:

dmchicago said:

MaskedMarvel said:

nolan8v said:

Thanks for the responses.

I'm looking for a door that will keep heat out (as much as possible) and provide security. The door frame will also be replaced, if needed in order to get the end product I decide.

Incredible timing. Someone picking up a pork butt at my house just demolished my front exterior door. Following this thread....

edit / as I’m searching, I think what I’m looking for is, technically, a “storm door...”

Huh?

Yeah... the storm door was on it’s way out... when the hydraulic broke free, pieces went everywhere. Not her fault, probably. Odd that we can’t find any of the parts, though...

You can get a replacement tempered glass

MaskedMarvel

alaskanassasin said:

MaskedMarvel said:

dmchicago said:

MaskedMarvel said:

nolan8v said:

Thanks for the responses.

I'm looking for a door that will keep heat out (as much as possible) and provide security. The door frame will also be replaced, if needed in order to get the end product I decide.

Incredible timing. Someone picking up a pork butt at my house just demolished my front exterior door. Following this thread....

edit / as I’m searching, I think what I’m looking for is, technically, a “storm door...”

Huh?

Yeah... the storm door was on it’s way out... when the hydraulic broke free, pieces went everywhere. Not her fault, probably. Odd that we can’t find any of the parts, though...

You can get a replacement tempered glass

The whole door is kinda crappy to begin with. Not a bad idea, though, considering the restaurant is still not really making money...

jtcBoynton

GregW said:

jtcBoynton said:

GregW said:

I would normally go with fiberglass, but in today's times iron/steel would serve you well.

But you can get fiberglass doors sandwiched with steel plate inside for added strength. 

I was unaware that that option existed. A strong door is a wise choice.

Around here you find it in hurricane rated doors. 

Kayak

Well, I can tell you that a storm door will not stop a running whitetail deer. They will blast right through, no problem. Had the wood door been closed, I'm sure it would have held. Thankfully it was easy for the deer to run right back out through the now-gaping opening.